Information Literacy Learning Outcome: discovery and critical evaluation
Finding aids are a form of multi-level description that give a brief overview of the information contained within an archival aggregation. Finding aids typically describe the contents, medium, temporal and geographic coverage, creators, contributors, arrangement and historical context for both the creators and aggregation itself. In Canada, finding aids are standardized using Rules for Archival Description.
A library catalogue keeps track of all of the individual items, or series of items, held by the library. A single catalog record can tell the user the title, author, publisher, publication date, subject, item type, and location of the item. To find materials in our Archives and Special Collections in Omni, navigate to the left hand side of the screen and select "Western & Affiliate Libraries," from there if you click on "Archives" the catalogue will narrow down to only items that are held by the Archives & Special Collections Research Centre.
Unlike a finding aid, which is a prose document that is meant to be navigated hierarchically, the Archives Holdings Database at Western allows you to search through all record types, at all levels, in our database. The database can be a helpful jumping off point when you don't have an idea of what aggregation you would like to start off with. Just keep in mind that you typically cannot request a single item or file, and will usually have to navigate up the description to request the appropriate materials in the reading room.
Sometimes the information you are looking for can be difficult to describe or locate. Did you know that students that consult a librarian get higher grades than those who do not? Archivists and librarians are uniquely trained to find information. They know how to help you narrow down a topic and connect you with the resources that you need for your research. This process is called a research consultation or a reference interview.
